New models are coming to join an ever growing market place and their numbers are expected to swell very quickly once the coronavirus lockdown ends and some semblance of normality returns to showrooms.
So it was interesting to study the results of a valuation survey compiled by Vanrama which looked at the current crop of cars and how they hold onto prices over different durations, typically what buyers have been working on for several years.
There are some fascinating, even eye-opening as well as eye-watering, figures to swallow, even for well established brands.
The depreciation of electric cars over 5,000 miles
| Model | Base value | Over 5,000 miles |
| Audi e-tron | £71,985 | -12% |
| Jaguar I-PACE | £64,495 | -14% |
| Tesla Model X | £86,200 | -15% |
| Volkswagen e-Up! | £23,195 | -16% |
| Hyundai Ioniq Electric | £33,950 | -17% |
| Tesla Model S | £81,200 | -18% |
| Kia e-Niro | £37,995 | -19% |
| Nissan LEAF | £29,845 | -22% |
| Hyundai Kona Electric | £32,900 | -22% |
| BMW i3 | £35,350 | -24% |
It’s no surprise to see Audi, Jaguar and Tesla in the top spots, with the e-tron, I-PACE and Model X, respectively in the top 3 places.
However, VW’s all-electric e-Up! is expected to drop less than £4k in its first 5,000 miles on the road – a percentage change of only 16%. In stark contrast, BMW’s i3 dropped nearly £10k over the same distance, a shocking 24%.
Another wild card is the Hyundai Ioniq Electric, which also finds itself at the more wallet-friendly end of the table, with a drop of only 17% after 5,000 miles. That’s good enough to have it brushing shoulders with Tesla’s Model S, a model that’s more than twice as costly.
However, add another 95,000 miles to the clock and the story dramatically changes.
The depreciation of electric cars over 100,000 miles
| Model | Base value | Over 100,000 miles |
| Tesla Model X | £86,200 | -28% |
| Audi e-tron | £71,985 | -30% |
| Tesla Model S | £81,200 | -35% |
| Volkswagen e-Up! | £23,195 | -39% |
| Hyundai Kona Electric | £32,900 | -43% |
| Kia e-Niro | £37,995 | -44% |
| Hyundai Ioniq Electric | £33,950 | -46% |
| BMW i3 | £35,350 | -46% |
| Nissan LEAF | £29,845 | -49% |
| Jaguar I-PACE | £64,495 | -49% |
The I-PACE’s strong start is undone here, shedding almost half of its £70k-plus price tag and putting it on par with the Nissan LEAF.
At the other end, the e-Up is again punching above its weight in 4th place and with a drop of only 39% on its base value. At little over £23k, it’s the cheapest on the list and steadily holds value..
Behind the e-tron, the Tesla Model X and Model S are the best performing, seeing losses of only 28% and 35% after 100,000 miles..
Vanarama’s research also finds that combustion-engined counterpart models depreciate quicker than their EV versions, which you can find here.
